Into the Storm
| director=| artist=| pre=| con=| next=}} Into the Storm is a short story written by user Echo 1 for the Spring Writing Contest. Story Amahain stood on top of a mountain overlooking the sea. The sun was setting over the waters, silhouetting several ships against the horizon. Aboard the boats were dozens of Matoran, her fellow villagers. They had been forced to leave, primarily at her behest. A storm was coming, one she feared the village below would not survive. Seagulls called in the dimming sky. Amahain adjusted her armor as the cold night began to fall. Clouds were gathering in the east, moving seaward. It would be the first massive storm of the spring. However, storms never came from east. Something was wrong with the building maelstrom. A crack of thunder sounded in the evening air, echoing through the valley below. She grabbed her golden Kanohi Hau and placed it back over her face, turning towards the storm. Black clouds were advancing across the violet dusk sky. A streak of blue-white lightning flashed against the clouds, illuminating their massive, grey forms. When the ships had finally vanished from sight, Amahain began the long trek down the mountain and into the village far below. As she descended the staircase down the mountainside, the sky continued to grow darker. The female Toa of Stone had been in night storms before, but they never left the ground quite this black. The shadows seemed to come alive in the valley. She could hear noises in the village, but their sources remained unseen. Slowly, the rain began to fall. At first, it was a light sprinkle. A flash of lightning and a crack of thunder later, the water fell from the sky in great grey sheets, soaking the terrain. The grass around the path that Amahain treaded shone glossily as they became covered in water. Within an hour, Amahain was at the foot of the mountain, looking into the village. Several houses were destroyed, some of their remains still smoldering even in the tempest. The smell of burning homes made the Toa feel sick. She walked down the street into town. Suddenly, there was a loud crunch beneath her foot. The Toa looked down to find half of a Kanohi Kakama lying in the muddy street. Possibly the work of a skilled crafter, or even the mask of a former villager. Whoever its owner was, they had abandoned it, leaving it to be destroyed with the rest of the town. The sound of debris getting pushed aside emanated from a nearby ruin. Amahain readied her blade. The sword’s soaked, metal form reflected the flashes of lightning in the sky. A blue-armored Rahkshi emerged from the direction of the sound. It stared at her, covered in water. Fiery orange eyes burned under its snakelike helmet. It let out a low hiss, breath puffing out from its helm in accordance. Bolts of bluish energy crackled along the pike it grasped in its claw. The two stood there, staring, waiting for the other to make the first move. The Rahkshi lost its patience. Its helmed opened, revealing the disgusting kraata beneath. The worm let out a shriek and charged Amahain, its pike poised to impale the Toa. Amahain dodged at the last second and delivered a blow to the Rahkshi’s back. The beast let out a guttural hiss and lashed out, knocking her to the muddy street. It placed its foot on her chest and prepared a killing blow. Amahain concentrated on the environment around her, reaching out with her elemental powers. A moment later, a chunk of bedrock wrenched itself free from the ground and was hurled towards the Rahkshi. The creature had no time to react and was throne across the road. The boulder pinned it to the ground, leaving it incapable of fighting. The Toa returned to her feet and continued into the village. Rain pinged off her armor, and the winds began to pick up. The temperature dropped further as she neared the town’s center, and the sky became even darker. At the village square, Amahain was confronted with a wall of shadow. It was a curtain of rain and darkness so thick her eyes could not penetrate it. A lone, empty howl sounded from the shadow. A being emerged from the fog. He was easily four masks taller than Amahain and clad in spiked, bone-white armor. He wore a long, spined Kanohi. Two massive wings extended from the being’s back, holding fast in the storm’s gale. He regarded Amahain with crimson eyes filled with a mixture of malice and pity. Her protector turned executioner. Krika, Makuta of her homeland. A thousand questions burned within Amahain’s soul. Why did he attack? What had caused the earthquake? Why had her fellow Toa been killed? Another blast of thunder sounded as Amahain raised her blade. Rahkshi began to howl from the mountains surrounding the valley, their voices merging into a single, unnerving wail. The Toa glared at Krika with harsh, green eyes. Hate for this former figure of justice stormed within her, mirroring the storm without her. With a feral roar filled with rage against this being that had destroyed her people, her home, and the lives of her friends, Amahain charged the Makuta. Krika opened his palms which crackled with purple chain lightning. Amahain held her sword forward and straight, ready to plunge it into the Makuta’s gut. Thunder sounded, wind howled, lightning flashed, and rain fell as the Toa of Stone charged to her doom. Trivia *The story was originally inspired by the song Into the West from The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. The opening scene is based on the song's lyrics. *The story is non-canon to Echo 1's storyline. *The Krika that appears is in a pre-mutation form, and is thus based on what Echo 1 believed he may have looked like prior to being transformed by the Karda Nui swamp.